Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The invention concerns a computer network for services retrieval consisting of one or more computer systems and one or more service providers, the computer system comprising one or more clients and one or more network accessible client tools running on the computer system, which client tools may be enriched with services. The invention also concerns a computer system for application in the computer network, as well as a method for managing the network.
Description of Related Art:
Computers systems are more and more applied in computer networks, in particular the internet. In such network, services may be provided by service providers or other computer systems. These services, which may be either pulled by the client tool and/or pushed by service providers or other computer systems, may enrich client tools running on the computer system. Such services may for instance be adding information, like (travel) planning and activities, to the client tool. As the internet is growing exponentially, also the number of services offered is growing, which increases complexity. Still the user of the client tool will require a fast and uncomplicated performance. Some of the services offered are for free, others have to be paid for. Most require some sort of registration and/or other input, in particular personal information. The user of the computer system will then, to a greater or lesser extent, loose anonymity and privacy and may have to provide sensitive personal information. In order to provide an optimal and continuous service, more and more service providers are designed such that and require that they are constantly active on the background and have access to large amounts of sensitive information on the computer system.
Such computer network is for instance known from US2010/0082376. Where the invention concerns computer networks and client tools in general, the known computer network of US2010/0082376 specifically concerns only a time management system, in particular a calendar application, running on a computer system. The known computer system is in the network connected to other computer systems and to an external tracking server. The external tracking server is connected by the network to one or more service providers that may suggest activities for an open time slot in the schedule of a user of the calendar application. The external tracking server searches for open time slots in the schedule of the user of the calendar, requests suggestions at external service providers, makes a selection and adds the selected suggestions to the calendar of the user. In addition several components may be added for receiving and processing preferences and location information of the user. Accordingly the external tracking server requires full access to the calendar. The personal information of the user, in particular the preferences and the location of the user are distributed over the network and outside the network. The user of the network has no control over the external tracking server. From a privacy point of view this is unacceptable. The known network may be provided with a security component for authorizing distribution of personal information of the user or for authorizing receipt of services. However, such opt-out or opt-in authorization requires each time a separate consent of the user, which makes the network slow and less dynamic.
Further EP1251436A2 recites a retrieval system including at least a retrieval server for serving retrieval service; and a retrieval device accessible through a transmission medium to the at least retrieval server.
The above document relates more to rewriting of retrieval variables from a user at the moment the user makes a request (making them less distinctive, for example passing along an area instead of the exact position of the user). It seems to act as an obfuscating gateway to different services. However, the system does not make the retrieval variables anonymous in any way, or decouples retrieval from an original user. With the system user approval e.g. incorporating user settings is not possible. The patent describes how to change a level of accuracy of a data request based on personal information.
US2011084803 (A1) recites a method and apparatus for controlling location information at a computer device such as a mobile telephone. Location information is intercepted and obtained by, for example, intercepting it from an Application Programming Interface destined for a location application. The location application is identified, and a rule is determined for applying to the location information on the basis of the identified location application. The rule is applied to the location information to give amended location information, and the amended location information is then sent to the location application.
US2010024045 A1 recites a method for accepting and enforcing user selectable privacy settings for context awareness including location awareness data on a computing platform. The method may identify a requestor, assign a privacy setting to the requester then detect a request for location information from the requestor. The method may transmit location information to the requester based on the user selected privacy setting. The user selected privacy setting may have a granularity assigned to each requestor based on a privacy preference and the method may entirely block the location information from being disclosed or the method may modify the granularity/accuracy of the location information based on the privacy setting to report context of an appropriate level of granularity according to the privacy setting configured by the user. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US2005144333 A1 recites a presence attribute information server and manager application, and corresponding method for managing access to presence attribute information. In addition to the presence attribute information entries, access authorization entries associated with at least some of the presence attribute information entries are provided which define conditions in which access to the presence attribute information is authorized. Generally, the defined conditions can include temporal and/or spatial requirements associated with either the user requesting the presence attribute information or the person/item associated with the presence attribute information, for purposes of establishing authorization to access the presence attribute information.
US2010076777A1 recites a system and method that automatically provides users with recommendations regarding location tracking privacy policies that may be appropriate to enact in certain contexts as well as a means for enacting such policies. Once a privacy policy is enacted, the manner in which location information associated with the user is provided to at least one application or service will be controlled in accordance with the privacy policy. The recommended privacy policies may represent privacy policies that have been enacted by other users in like contexts.
US2010077484A1 recites a location tracking privacy engine is described herein that is configured to allow users to define privacy policies that govern how location information about each user is provided to context-aware applications and services. Privacy policies can be defined in a highly flexible and context-specific manner such that the execution of a given privacy policy by the location tracking privacy engine is dependent on the existence of one or more social, topical, temporal or spatial conditions. Privacy policies are then executed automatically by the location tracking privacy engine when the conditions associated with the policies are determined to be satisfied.
The six direct above documents recite systems wherein data is strongly tight to a user, such as by inherent coupling (in a database). Once coupled to a user, the data remains coupled over time, i.e. relating to a static system in this sense. The system controls data management to a large extend, and privacy of a user is limited and at jeopardy. A user may set or amend settings to some extent, but only at a superficial level.
The present invention therefore relates to a computer network for services retrieval, which overcomes one or more of the above disadvantages, without jeopardizing functionality and advantages.